We are four years into this wave of book censorship. There are plenty of new folks entering the fray, discovering that at heart, none of this is about books at all. It’s about ensuring access to public goods like public libraries and public schools remain the democratic institutions of civic engagement that they are and it’s about ensuring that entire swaths of people—queer folks, people of color, and anyone else who doesn’t fit into the neat and tidy image of the cishet able-bodied Christian white male—aren’t erased.
It is great to see continued growth in wanting to learn and engage in the fight to protect the First Amendment rights of all and especially young people. There are plenty of guides for what to do and how, including throughout the four years’ worth of Literary Activism newsletters. There will be another guide coming next week that serves as a year-long plan for understanding the past, present, and future of book bans.
But this week, to wrap up 2024, let’s take a look back at a few of the most popular and most urgent posts about censorship this year. The news roundup itself will be short as well, given that most schools are out for the holidays and public library boards are not scheduling their meetings during this time, either.
This is the time to catch up, to reflect, and to refill your cup in preparation for what will be a longer, harder, darker battle in 2025.
We can breathe a small sigh of relief that this bill, which would criminalize librarians who join their own professional organizations, did not pass in Louisiana. But several states and locales did ban their library professionals from engaging with the American Library Association, and it is not out of the question we’ll see similar bills to this one popping up in 2025. Here’s a handy guide of the prefiled anti-library, pro-book censorship bills for the upcoming legislative session and what you can do about it.
Annabelle Jenkins’s graduation moment got a lot of press this summer, but few outlets took the time to ask Jenkins about what led her to make the decision to hand her school’s superintendent a copy of The Handmaid’s Tale Graphic Novel. She had been fighting against book bans in her Idaho high school for over a year and her story is one of what it is to stand up for the right to read. Talking with her was an absolute treat and her story is one that we know is being seen in school after school across the country—even if those stories aren’t always captured on video.
Why Teens Across the Country Are Acquiring Brooklyn Public Library’s Free Digital Cards
The obvious answer to why teens would seek out the free digital card through Brooklyn Public Library’s Books UnBanned program is that they’re experiencing book bans. Yes, that’s certainly A reason, but as the teens themselves shared with the library, there are so many other reasons, too. A key theme and one that needs to be hammered home again and again as we move into 2025 is this: libraries are about access. For many, this digital card is THE ONLY way they have access to books and resources for education, entertainment, and enrichment.
Book Banning County Commissioners Censor Honor for Girl Scout’s Banned Book Library
Another story of an incredible teen is this one. Kate Lindley watched as her school board banned books, and in response, she decided to create several banned book nooks throughout town for her Girl Scout Service Project. The County Commissioners, meanwhile, decided when they honored her work, they would need to censor what her project was actually about—and as it turns out, that’s because some of them were involved in banning books both in the public library and public schools.
Utah Bans 13 Books From Public Schools Statewide
With a headline like this, you hope there’s not an increase in the number. Unfortunately, Utah’s now banned 14 books from all public schools in the state, on account of their new law that states 1. any book banned in 3 or more public school districts will be banned statewide and 2. the bill applies retroactively, meaning that there are likely several more books to be added to the list. Will you be shocked to hear only a couple of school districts are doing the majority of the decision making for the state? So much for “local control” and “parental rights.”
The Dictionary, Guinness World Records Among Books Banned in Escambia County, Florida
At the very beginning of 2024, we learned the true depth of the book banning situation in Escambia County Schools in Florida. Over 1,600 books were pulled. As we come to the end of the year, a federal judge is urging the district to settle one of the lawsuits they’re involved in out of court because it is costing taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Also this year: we discovered that the notorious educator in the county who is responsible for many of these bans made her way into the public library to begin complaining. A reminder coming into the new year that what begins in the public schools moves to the public libraries, no matter how many times the banners tell you that removing the books from the schools doesn’t mean they can’t get them at the public library.
Books About Disability Are Popular Banning Targets
We know guides to puberty, sex, and gender are popular banning targets within the “humans have bodies” category, but so, too, are books are disability. For Disability Pride Month, I pulled together some of the most commonly banned books right now that feature disabled authors and/or storylines. Pair this one with the guide to books about sexual assault that are also among the most commonly banned.
What Do Book Challenge Forms Look Like?
If you don’t work in libraries or schools, you may have no idea what book challenge forms—often the required formal step for a book to go through a review process—actually look like. This post shares some forms, including by some of the most prolific book banners nationwide. The goal is to help you see how little is required of complainers and question why it is schools or libraries allow such poorly crafted, sometimes straight-up plagiarized, complaints to be taken seriously.
How Public Libraries Are Targeted Right Now—It’s Not “Just” Books
The stories this year and in previous years about public libraries here have not often been about the books being banned. Instead, they’re about how a book ban may be the catalyst for a far more sinister plan: to destroy public libraries, period. We’ve seen so many public libraries dealing with bad boards, with surprise defunding, with city or county officials attempting to take them over, and more. Here’s a look at where and how public libraries are being hurt outside of “just” book bans. It’s a reminder that “get the books through these free sites!!!” or “I’m buying my racist relatives banned books!” or “I’m hoarding books I know will be banned to pass them around” are not true solutions to what’s really going on here. There will be more stories like this coming in 2025. Expect to see the first here sometime in January.
You’re Wrong About These Common Myths About Book Ban
Yes, book bans are happening.
No, book bans don’t increase book sales for authors except in rare cases.
No, book bans don’t get kids begging to read the books. They’re just not reading at all.
This is your guide to common myths perpetrated by friends, family, and the mainstream media, as well as how to respond to them. Some of these might be reminders for you, too, as we gear up for what’s to come in 2025.
Note: Last week’s Literary Activism newsletter rounded up the states which have passed anti-book ban bills and what those bills actually mean. One state which passed a bill in 2023 was inadvertently left off, and that’s Connecticut. Public Act 23-101. That bill opens up a pool of funds for public libraries who meet a short list of criteria, including that they will not ban books.
Book Censorship News: December 27, 2024
Don’t get too excited about a shorter than usual list this week and over the next few weeks. This is traditionally a quieter time in book censorship because schools are out of session and the bulk of libraries don’t hold board meetings during this time.
- A key victory in the ongoing battle over First Amendment rights in public libraries and access to books from Arkansas this week.
- Canyon Independent School District (TX) has banned the Bible from all district schools. A reminder that this is still book banning and a violation of student rights. (It’s also a poor understanding of the state law, but that’s par for the course at this point).
- The ACLU has sued Elizabeth School District (CO) for banning books because those books primarily feature—waiiittt for it—people of color and LGBTQ+ people.
- Cache County Schools (UT) will not be banning I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings nor The Handmaid’s Tale.
- The Executive Director of the Christian County Public Library (MO) is leaving in the new year because she’s over being harassed for having LGBTQ+ books in the collection.
- Two new board members were appointed to the beleaguered Garfield County Public Library (CO). This’ll be interesting to watch as this years’ long fight over books on the shelves in the public library drags on. Remember, Colorado has an anti-book ban law but that doesn’t really matter here.
- A look at the rise in efforts to ban books in Oregon, as well as the pushback.
- This story is paywalled, but winners of a First Amendment lawsuit in Crawford County, Arkansas, are now raising money for the local library because, despite winning against the book banners, the next tactic in destroying the library is trying to defund it.
- An update on the ongoing fight to ban books at the Middlebury Public Library (IN). Read the actual comments here from one of the city council members. They’re good. This last bit: “I don’t care what anyone else would do. I care what we should do,” Clark said. “If I ever make decisions based on what is politically popular or might help me get re-elected rather than what I believe is right, I hope I lose the next election. I would rather lose standing on principle rather than win doing something I do not agree with.”
- Some parents—you know the ones—are mad that eighth graders are reading The Hate U Give in Manchester, Michigan, schools.
- A year ago, there was a lot of uncertainty about the future of Liberty Lakes Public Library (WA). Guess what? It’s not gotten better and the future of the library is once again a big question mark.
- This story is paywalled, but five books are still sitting in limbo as to whether or not they’ll be banned from Boiling Springs High School (SC). The books are LGBTQ+ themed, naturally.
- This story is paywalled (see a pattern?), but it turns out that a teacher who saw complaints against them for daring to have LGBTQ+ books in their Ohio classroom had those complaints filed by another teacher. Wish I could tell you more, but alas. Democracy dies behind a paywall.